A West Vancouver Manor Gets a Whimsical Makeover

There are infinite directives that could throw a loop into a set of blueprints, but few would be as unexpected as the one presented to designer Kelly Deck when she and architect Jim Bussey of Formwerks signed on to plan a home for a West Coast family of seven. “The client had wanted a hidden Scooby Doo-inspired staircase in his house since he was a kid,” says Deck, who fulfilled that quirky homeowner dream with delight and ingenuity. “It was a fun piece of the architectural puzzle to solve.”

A balance of exuberance and restraint, this stately West Vancouver house has the air of a manor home plucked from the English countryside—but twisted just enough so that every room feels both solidly traditional and refreshingly novel.

“This is a stylish, artsy couple with five kids between the ages of 20 and seven,” says Deck, who worked with the clients on a previous home. “They wanted more space as their family’s needs changed, and they had a vision for a house that would be highly curated but also relaxed and easy to gather in.”

In cozy, manorly style, visitors are met by a fireplace in the front foyer; mid-toned wood on the ceiling adds instant warmth to the space. On first glance, the decor adds up to the classic estate home. Above the mantel, however, sits a photo of a goofy, contemplative moose and a garish, circa-1950s topographical map of British Columbia—a far cry from the predictable landscape painting or a sepia chart of the old world. The checkered floor is a timeless choice that doubles as a playful nod to the couple’s romantic narrative: the hallway separates his-and-hers offices set in amusing opposition to each other. His is dark and edgy with black walls punctuated by skateboard art and photos of musicians; hers is a sanctuary in white.

The checkered floor connects the entire main level, leading from the foyer into a great room that Deck calls the showstopper of the house (fans of Scooby Doo might argue). A vaulted ceiling and chandelier create gothic gravitas; a portrait by Vancouver-based artist Lyle XOX over the great room mantel pulls in startling modernity. The seven-foot-high limestone fireplace was a serendipitous find by the designer, who spotted it leaning against a wall at Scott Landon Antiques in Surrey. “It’s from a turn-of-last-century Chicago hospital,” says Deck, who discovered it in time to have it craned into place before the windows were installed, and then added a marble facade.

The kitchen is subtly separated from the great room by a wide, curved doorway—a respite from the home’s hard angles. “For many years, homes in Vancouver were very linear, all straight edges,” says Deck. “Arches are soft, timeless—and they bring more visual interest to an interior.”

Deck describes the kitchen as “delicately bistro.” Contemporary, low-hung globe pendant lights and a black marble waterfall island stand out against the traditional white cabinetry and backsplash. Elegant nods to manor living include lamps on the countertops in the butler’s kitchen and a gilt-framed still life above the stove.

The dining room adjacent to the kitchen is another departure from typical modern-home design. “I recommend this layout,” says Deck. “Putting the dining room off the kitchen is a functional balance of contemporary and traditional design, rather than having such a big open space with the dining table between the living room and kitchen.” The main floor is still open plan, but the layout is more intimate: “It’s not closed off or Victorian, but it’s homier.”

Upstairs are five bedrooms (a sixth is in the basement, along with a rec room for the kids). If you paid attention to the typical detective shenanigans of Fred and Daphne, you’d easily figure out how to get to the primary bedroom via a secret door in “his” office. “The staircase is playful and romantic—it accentuates the experience of the couple having their wing of the home in a household that is so busy,” says Deck. Their ensuite, meanwhile, repeats the poetic black-and-white theme.

Perhaps the most delicate balance in a house where the spaces in between one thing and another are everything is the feeling of tranquility that abounds despite—or maybe because of—the myriad objects that decorate every room. There is no starkness; neither is there clutter.

Deck believes that the things we collect over our lives orient us and should surround us. “We need to design homes that allow for our special objects and belongings,” she says. A buffet off the kitchen displays china dinnerware; there are open shelves for LPs in one of the offices; and, in the mud room, seven cubbies numbered by birth order are tiny universes of individual hobbies and styles. “Acknowledging and having a special place for the things that are meaningful to us makes for a richer interior,” says Deck. If we’re lucky, that might even mean having a Saturday morning cartoon dream come true.

This story was originally published in the July/August 2024 print issue of Western Living magazine. Sign up for your free subscription here.